My job. Well, the job that pays those pesky bills is this: I'm a college counselor at a private Christian high school. Do I love it or hate it? Neither. I sort of like it and sort of don't like it. There are things I hate about it, but those things don't actually have anything to do with the job itself. I hate the fact that I have to have an outside job at all. But you all already know that, don't you?
Since that little tidbit isn't new, I'll focus on the things that I do like about my job. When I accepted this job, I was thrilled because it meant I got to interact with people again. I had spent the last three years behind a desk in a crowded office, one that conducted daily business via email. Now, I know that's pretty normal these days, and trust me--I do my fair share of emailing, too. The thing is, it was just weird. People sitting two feet away from each other would email their questions back and forth instead of just turning their chairs to face each other, or taking a quick, 10 second walk to each other's desks. Seriously. (I may be exaggerating just a bit, but not by much.) Plus, the majority of my job was spent doing editing work that truly could have been done from home, during any hours--not necessarily between the hours of 8-5. It was frustrating.
But I'm not supposed to be talking about that job, am I? I'm supposed to be talking about this job.
The good things about this job are that I get to speak into the lives of teenagers, something that I honestly never thought I'd do. I get a front row seat to their dreams and I get to encourage them to chase after them, to work hard toward achieving their goals, and taste the sweetness of success as they come in to share the good news with me. The hard part is dashing dreams, a necessary evil when college-bound seniors don't really have a good grasp of the sorts of colleges they're actually eligible for (or not eligible for, really).
Another great thing about my job is that it's very close to my house. I think my commute to work is 3 minutes. When the weather clears, I'm seriously thinking about walking to work. Also, I get to work just a moment's walk away from my darling little girl. Being able to go feed her lunch? Helps keep me sane (except for the days when it makes me resent the fact that I have to go back to work...but I'm staying with the positive in this post, right?).
I also teach one class session of English Language Learners--the Speaking and Listening course. I like it because I have such an admiration for my little group of international students. Not only can they speak two languages (something I really, really admire), but they are making their way on their own a new country, very very far away from everything and everyone familiar to them. Blows my mind. I couldn't have done that at their age. Sheesh--I still couldn't do that. I don't like teaching the class because I don't feel like I'm very good at it, and I hate feeling that way.
In short, my job is a blessing and a bother. But I think that a lot of things in life are like that, aren't they? Very few things, if anything at all, are perfect. But there are things that are good, so today, and tomorrow, and for the rest of the school year, I'm going to do my best to find the good things, and then focus on and be thankful for them.
1 comment:
it used to kill me when i'd go to Mom's over the lunch hour to see the kids. sometimes my sister-in-law would be there with her kids and they'd all talk about their morning at the Zoo or kiddie Music Theatre or the park. they just had no idea how much that sucked for me.
i think that if i could do it over (with no layoff and a bit more planning ;)) i would stay home and just eat pb&j and rice for those fast years.
as it was, though, i genuinely had to work. i'm glad Cody still appreciates how i "took one with the team". patience>hope>perseverance>
character.
so glad you can be realistic and count the good and the bad. tells me you're exactly where you're supposed to be and that you are willing to change if necessary.
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